Dead or victorious but not prisoner
8 minutes – 2011
Director: Mario L. Delatour

On July 28th 1958, three former Haitian army officers accompanied by five American nationals invaded Haiti from Key West, Florida in an attempt to topple the new presidency of Dr. Francois Duvalier. The American media dubbed the whole affair as the The Sheriff Invasion! This filmexamines the lives of the men who staged this bold attempt particularly that of its leader Captain Alix pasquet.

This short preview was sponsored by the Fondation connaissance et liberté (Fokal) and Ms. Youri Mevs. The short is narrated in English.

Festival and presentations:
This film is a work in progress.

35 long seconds: Haiti’s deadly earthquake. (35 secondes fatales)
18 min – 2010
Director: Mario L. Delatour

Although difficult to imagine, Haiti lost in less than a minute its National Palace, the National Legislature, the Departments of Education, Health, Finance, Justice, and Culture. The offices of the National Police and the old Army barracks were destroyed. 250,000 buildings collapsed in Port-au-Prince, including 25,000 commercial buildings but worst of all nearly 300,000 people perished and 1.5 million were left homeless. The January 12th, 2010 earthquake in Haiti was one of the deadliest earthquakes ever recorded in history. Overnight Haiti lost 80% of its gross national product.
The film is narrated by Mario L. Delatour. 35 long seconds: Haiti’s deadly earthquake records the sad events on that ill fated day.
Festivals and presentations:

Les Forts de la Liberté (Liberty Forts)
7:18 – 2009
Director: Mario L. Delatour

Christophe Colomb erected the very first fort of the Americas “La Natividad” not far from Haiti’s northern town of Limbé. The Spanish, the French and the English succeeded themselves by building fortifications systems of their own. Following the successful Haitian revolt in 1804, the generals of the new nation fearing the return of the old French colonizers decided to build a mountain based fortification system away from the coastal cities. Inspired by the Maroons who had sought refuge in Haiti’s towering mountains the generals erected multiple forts on some of Haiti’s highest peaks. The legacy of this policy can be seen today with the magnificent presence of the Citadelle La Ferrière, the Fort Alexandre, Fort Ogé, Fort Jacques just to name a few. In 25 short years the fathers of the new nation built 23 forts and 4 new cities.

This film was commissioned by Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism. It is a work in progress.

Festivals and presentations:
Les Forts de la Liberté is currently being used by Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism as a promotional tool.

Schools in Haiti, a difficult situation!
4:24 – 2008
Producer: Mario L. Delatour

This short piece looks at the plight of young Haitian students and
and the dreadful physical conditions of the schools that they attend.
In 2008 two poorly built schools in Port au Prince collapsed killing a number of students.
This tragedy called for greater state intervention in an unregulated school system
where 80% of the schools are privately owned and operated. Schools built outside
of all normal standards and codes are now a menace to kids in Haiti.

This short film is narrated in English and was sponsored by Haiti’s Ministry of Education.

Festival and presentations:
Schools in Haiti, a difficult situation! aired on Channel 4 Miami, Florida.  

La Croix Rouge Haitienne: 75 ans au service d’ideaux humanitaires.
(The Haitian Red Cross: 75 years to the service of humanitarian ideals)

15 minutes – 2008
Director: Mario L. Delatour

The Haitian Red Cross was born May 29th, 1932 formally under the patronage of president Sténio Vincent. On that festive day Dr. Rudolph Charmant became the first president of the Haitian Red Cross. On July 20th of the same year the state recognized the Haitian Red Cross as public utility. A year later on May 15th 1933 the National Society of the Red Cross affiliated itself to the International Federation of the Red Cross. Much later in 1968 Dr. Francois Duvalier then “president for life” of Haiti offered the Haitian Red Cross a brand new building on the water front boulevard of the Bi-centenaire in Port au Prince. For 75 years this national societyworked tirelessly to alleviate the pain and suffering of the proud nation of Haiti.

This film was commissioned by the International Federation of the Red Cross as a gift to the Haitian Red Cross upon its 75th anniversary. The film is narrated in French.

Festival and presentation:

Ayti jodi a : Vyolans ou lapè?  (Haiti today: Violence or Peace?)
52 minutes – 2006 Haiti
Director: Mario L. Delatour

In this 52 minute documentary the filmmaker gives voice to a wide variety of people from youngsters in Cité Soleil to members of the elite in an attempt to understand the underlying reasons for the continuous cycle of violence in Haiti. Opinions are freely expressed in a film where kidnap victims and perpetrators share their personal pain and aspirations for a violent free society. The social inequalities of Haiti are raw in this film. Shot in 2006 when kidnappings were rampant in Port au Prince, the film makes a strong case for greater tolerance, understanding and the need for dialogue.

Haiti today: Violence or Peace? Is narrated in Creole and subtitled in English. It was produced by the Bureau of Public Affairs of the US Embassy in Port au Prince Haiti in collaboration with Amistad Films in 2006.

Festivals and presentations:

Un certain bord de mer (An unwelcome lot)
A century of Arab migration to Haiti.
52 minutes - 2005
Director: Mario L. Delatour

Commerce and travels are deeply rooted in Syrian-Lebanese culture. Middle Eastern communities flourish the world over and Haiti is no exception. The Syro-Libanais as
the French would call them started arriving in Haiti towards the end of the 19th century.
The Haitians found them to be a curious lot, particularly the Bourgeoisie which shunned them completely. Despite initial hostility, threats and actual cases of deportation the Arabs stayed and carved themselves a place in Haitian society. This film examines the plight of the early settlers and focuses on their descendants and how they are viewed in today’s society. 

This documentary is narrated by Chantale Laurent - Filmed in Lebanon, Syria and Haiti and edited in Paris in 2005.

Festivals and Presentations:
Le Tarmac de la Villette - Paris, France (Sept 2005). Espace Senghor - Brussels, Belgium (Sept 2005). Fokal - Port au Prince, Haiti (Nov 2005). Festival International du Film d’Amiens (2006). Filmar en America Latina - Geneva, Switzerland (2006). Festival International du Film Insulaire de Groix (2006). Festival International du Film Haitien de Montréal (2007). 6ème Rencontre Cinématographique de Hergla-Tunisia (August 2010) 

The limits of patience
30 minutes – 2002
Producer: Mogens Rasmussen
Director: Mario L. Delatour

In 1994 South Africa held its first ever universal elections which the ANC won
thereby ending officially 47 years of Apartheid rule. In a series of in-depths interviews with key personalities of post Apartheid rule, filmmaker Mario L. Delatour uncovered much frustration with the pace of change in South Africa. Though many blacks rose to prominence in S.A. the overall unemployment rate for Blacks took a plunge between 1994 and 2002! The legacy of Apartheid left much in its wake notably the issue of compensation for past abuses. The film also looks at the AIDS pandemic and the failure of president Mbeki’s government to address the issue in the early years.

This documentary was produced by Danish filmmaker Mogens Rasmussen’s company MR-Production. The film is narrated in English.

Festival and presentation:
Originally intended to air on DR1-Danmarks Radio The limits of patience was never broadcasted in Denmark. The film however played at a number of gatherings in S.A.

HASCO la grande Dame (HASCO, the Grand Lady)
30 minutes - 1988
Director: Mario L. Delatour

HASCO is the acronym for Haitian American Sugar Company, a US company registered in 1912 in the state of Delaware with the intent of producing and exploiting sugar in Haiti. Though Haiti had four sugar mills, HASCO was by far the biggest one. The company was known for its trains which transported sugarcane on the 20 miles of railroad tracks it had constructed in the Haitian countryside. Filmed in 1987, 2 year before HASCO closed its operations; the film looks at the history of a mythical sugar cane mill which lasted over 75 years. Built on the outskirt of Port au Prince in 1915 with its towering chimney, HASCO’s huge electrical generators once provided power to the city. With over 3,500 employees and nearly 40,000 planters who depended on the company it was the second largest employer after the Haitian State. In the eighties when cheap sugar flooded the Haitian market from the United States and the Dominican Republic the company was forced to close its doors.

This film was commissioned by Mrs. Huguette Mevs proprietor of HASCO.

Festivals and presentations:
Hasco the Grand Lady aired on Télé Haiti, Télé Nationale and was seen in social circles.